Ariana Afghan Kebab Restaurant

Okay food. Wings seemed like it was store bought and then fried, while the actual meal was kind of a disappointment. The mixed grill had okay portions but too much salad compared to actual meat and rice. The meat was also very tough and hard to chew after a while of eating. Better afghan places to eat here in NYC.

Like the reviews state, the owner rafi is just such a nice guy. It is so nice to see a business owner so passionate about their business and take time to meet customers.
Big menu. I thought the food was good but I made a wrong choice. I wasn’t wild about the tandoori chicken and I’d definitely go for the kebabs next time. The dreamy and creamy white sauce in a bottle is a must no matter what you order.
I think I’ll be back…

Amazing food! Definitely try it out if your in the area!!! Service was amazing as well!

Rafi, the owner, is a great person and makes you feel right at home as soon as you sit down! Honestly, it felt like he was welcoming us to sit down to eat in his living room. Very friendly and helpful with answering any questions you have about the menu.
The variety of dishes is decent and offers a little something from a couple regions of Afghanistan. We ordered some rice and lamb as well as a few kebab’s and had more than enough food for the two of us. You must use the spices on the table, they make everything better!
Finally, the atmosphere is great, I’m enjoying Hell’s Kitchen more and more for it’s unique character and Ariana’s mos def adds to that.

I came here for the first time 4 years ago when I was pregnant. It was a fabulously cold night and I was having dinner before seeing Pee Wee Herman on Broadway. I love Afghani food, and I found this place through Unilocal searching for restaurants near to the theatre. It is a small restaurant with about 12 tables and it was totally full that night. We waited in the cold outside (there is no waiting area because it is so tiny) for maybe 20 minutes and I was about to give up when a group came out and a table was free.
I am so glad that we did not give up and waited because the food was totally delicious and the service was good and prompt (we had a time constraint because of the show).
They have al of the Afghani specialties and appetizers– sometimes an Afghan restaurant will have kabobs alone– but this place had everything I was looking for– the vegetarian options looked great, but I got my favorite– Koobideh and also the Boulannee and Boulanee appetizers, salad and rice came with the entrée and bread was also served (I have had better Afghani bread, though).
Fast forward to late December this year and I was taking my pregnant friend to see Matilda and this was a Unilocal option near the theatre. It was exactly as good as the first time, and I had Aushak this time, which was also delicious.
My experience reminded me of how much I love Afghani food and I have signed up to take a class on Afghan cooking. It’s really delicious. If you have not tried it, you should. My pregnant friend loved the food, and said that it was her new favorite cuisine. A hit!

The interiors of the restaurant is the best part of the experience! Beautifully decorated! The chicken kebab platter was pretty good, although I have had better chicken kebab before… the chicken seemed to be a bit dry. Firni for dessert was delicious! — I’d go back just for the dessert :)

One of my all time favorite (Halal) restaurants in the city. I’ve been coming here for years and it never disappoints. My favorite dish is the kofta kebab platter & the aushak is also very good. It’s a cozy restaurant with a super kind & friendly owner, and the food always hits the spot! I’ve brought several friends here over the years and they’ve loved it as well.

I got the lamb lunch special, which is essentially what all halal cart food should be, but usually isn’t. Delivery was pretty quick. Shoutout to Vice Magazine for the tip on this one.

The meat portion for the kebab combination plate is criminally small. $ 17 got me a ton of rice with a meager serving of meat: I even thought they made a mistake and forgot to serve more of the kebab.
The lamb tikka was soggy and the white sauce taste too much like maynoise.
With that said, the ton of rice they serve taste fair. The chicken was tender.
I was hoping to find a gem like Kabul Kebab in Flushing queens but not in this meal at least.

We just randomly stumbled upon Ariana Afghan Kebab and I am glad we did. I assume that our waiter was the owner. He very pleasant and made our meal enjoyable. You can tell that the other diners were regulars. Everyone that came in he seemed to remember from past visits. This is always a good sign.
I ordered the Kabuli Palow with Lamb Tikka Kebab Special. This came with grilled lamb, rice, carrots, raisins and almonds and served with a salad. The lamb was cooked perfectly. Everything went so well together. I loved the mixture with the raisins, almonds, and carrots with the rice. I can see why most people dining there were regulars.

The food here is great and the owner is very friendly! He seems to know many of the other patrons on a personal basis — like others, I saw him going around speaking to people, asking about their kids, joking, and so on. I came a half hour early during the dinner rush, and he still let me sit down and brought bread and drinks.
Food-​wise, the meat is great, and I’m also a big fan of their pumpkin curries. I’m not normally in the area, but this is the place for good Afghan food if you are.

Delicious food and friendly service. The chicken shish kebab was cooked to perfection.
Great neighborhood place, far enough away from tourist bustle but still conveniently close to theaters and train.

Cute little place in the middle of hectic Hell’s Kitchen. An intimate space nicely decorated with rugs/​tapestries and pictures of Afghanistan. The owner/​waiter was really friendly and seemed to know a couple of patrons personally because they frequent the place so much. He knew one guy’s exact order when he sat down and he commented on another man who was just in there two days ago!
The menu has a lot of variations of the basics of meat and rice. I had lamb and okra in a brown sauce with rice and salad. The lamb was very tender and flavorful but the okra was a bit overcooked — not slimy but too soft for me. There are two spicy sauces on the table and I loved the green one — it was mildly spicy and sweet at the same time. The rice was good and the salad was basic but fresh with iceberg lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.
This neighborhood is hit or miss with the food but Ariana is definitely a hit.

Great food and service, did not know what to expect from Afghan food but it’s pretty good somewhere in between Middle Eastern and Turkish.

It’s a shame we live in a world where googling for «Ariana» results in a pop star flavor of the day versus a restaurant where the staff greet you as a friend, the interior is cozy and the cuisine is absolutely delicious. I’m quite confident that a restaurant such as Ariana that has been around since the late 80’s will likely outlast the temporary pop idol nearly indistinguishable from the next big thing.
Grandiose criticism aside, Ariana Afghan Kebab offers a lunch menu and a regular menu. I must confess to never trying the $ 10 lunch special for the simple reason that the full menu includes such specials as aushak, aushe burida and kabuli palow.
The first two are somewhat related, where aushak is composed of leek filled dumplings topped with yogurt and a ground beef sauce. Aushe burida replaces the dumplings with noodles and keeps the beef and yogurt accompaniment. Thorough plate cleaning has followed each time I’ve placed my order.
I’ve also grown partial to the palow, regardless of what meat joins the basmati rice. (Choose from beef or lamb or chicken kebab. Such a difficult decision is truly a palow fight…)
At other afghan eateries I’ve usually viewed the rice as a secondary attraction, playing second fiddle to the meat. At Ariana, the strips of carrots, raisins and pistachios that make up the palow can stand on their own merits for taste. Joining that with an always cooked to perfection meat results in a satisfying lunch.
I recommend finishing off lunch with an order of firnee to cleanse the palate.
Despite the restaurant being at capacity on various occasions, the staff has always been courteous, professional and checks in frequently to see if everything is well. Carafes of water are provided so water refills are not required. There is a high level of service here that other restaurants can surely emulate along with the fine Afghan cuisine.
Ariana is a fine representative of an ancient and proud culture’s cooking, brought to the plates of NYC. It is far more rewarding and meaningful than anything produced by a pop singer who shares the same name.

It is my partner’s and my first time in NYC. He and I were walking down 9^th Ave trying to find something that we can eat that we don’t have in Fargo, North Dakota. We walked saw this little gem and our (well, MY) interest was piqued. We stopped and checked out the menu and were pretty much sold immediately.
I’d first like to start off by saying, who the heck has ginger ale as a choice for drink?! Rocks my socks!
Ariana’s has many different drink options from beers and wines to soda and teas. Guess what I chose ;-)
We sat at our little table and immediately fell in love with this quaint, little place with amazing Afghan décor.
The gentleman, whom I am going to guess is the owner, was incredible. He had great suggestions and was so excited to have us in his restaurant after we told him it was our first time in NYC.
The other man helping him bring out drinks, apps and meals was also really helpful. My partner asked what he recommended and he asked if he liked meat, my partner answered that he did and he suggested the Combination Meals. He ended up choosing the Kabuli Palow with chicken kebab and I was the one that chose Combination I with chicken breast, lamb tikka and kofta kebab.
We split Sambosas as our app and our meals were brought out. It was so incredible. Every last bite.
Aaaand then we split the baklava :-D
The owner allowed every table once finished with meals to sit and relax and continue to visit. It was really intimate and really enjoyable.
I would recommend anyone come here. There is seriously something for everyone :-)

My manager and I tried out Ariana during our first week on our project in NYC. We didn’t know exactly what to expect going into it, but coming out we both were beyond satisfied! We agreed that it’s a great «hole in the wall» and that the food was incredible. We were also both entertained by (who I believe to be) the owner. I read in a previous review that he «runs back and forth like he’s on cocaine» — while this made me chuckle (and while I seriously doubt he is on cocaine), he is definitely energetic, quirky, and a little strange. He was convinced my manager and I were sisters, and was beyond confused when I asked for his recommendation on an order («This is my restaurant, everything is good, how could I tell you one thing to order? Order it all!»)
For our meal, we split the Kadoo Bolanee as an appetizer — wow! I highly recommend these. They are delicious, lightly friend pumpkin turnovers, perfectly seasoned, and served with a delicious yogurt sauce. These were gone in a matter of seconds.
For my entrée, I ordered the Kabuli Palow with Lamb Tikka Kebab. I am not a huge lamb person, but I figured this place would do it up well — and they did! Great flavor, great seasoning, and a HUGE portion. You really could split one entrée between two people.
The restaurant is quite small, so you may overhear other people’s conversations (we may have eavesdropped on a first date… very entertaining). But, it’s a casual environment, good service, and great food. Highly recommended!

When I lived and worked on 53^rd and 7^th back in the mid-​90s, my co-​workers and I loved walking over to 9^th Avenue for the smörgåsbord of ethnicities represented in the restaurants. That’s when I first discovered Ariana — and the fact that it is still going strong today is a testament to just how good it is.
The food is truly outstanding — the meat is fresh and deliciously spiced; very flavorful, occasionally with a kick. My favorite is the kofta; comes with a delicious, surprisingly light rice and salad with an addictive dressing that’s supposed to be for the salad but works for the meat as well. I’ve had other entrees, but always come back to the kofta.
If you are a vegetarian, no worries — they have tons of vegetarian options. Be sure to save room for an appetizer — the bolanees are wonderful; they’re fried turnovers, yet are never heavy or greasy. They can be made with or without meat; sometimes they have them with pumpkin, which is out of this world. Comes with a yogurt sauce that compliments the turnover extremely well.
I’ll also say that the man who serves everyone — he’s got to be the owner because he’s been there forever — is extremely nice; remembers faces well, even if not names. It’s a small, hole in the wall, and yet I never feel like he rushes us out, even during busier times.
I highly recommend this of all the Afghan restaurants in NYC.

What a neat find! I’ve always thought you could tell how good a place would be by the bread they bring out so it was no surprise that the food that followed the awesome bread they serve was delicious. I got lamb steak and it was a huge platter of meat. Tender, juices and seasoned so masterfully.
Delicious.

Honestly the best hour of my life. The food was great, the atmosphere welcoming, and the service… AMAZING! My friends and I had an absolutely wonderful time and will be CERTAIN to visit anytime we are back in the city. Do yourself a favour and give Ariana’s a try!
–Joshua (aka Dave)